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Worldwide quality of living survey

Which city across the globe is the best to live in?

For its 2012 Quality of Living Survey, global consulting firm Mercer analyzed local living conditions in 460 cities based on 39 factors including political stability, crime, access to medical supplies and services, air pollution, schools and recreation.

The annual list is used to help multinational companies decide fair compensation for employees assigned abroad.

Kicking off the top 10 with a tie is Sydney, Australia (pictured).

Keep clicking to find out which cities topped Mercer's 2012 Quality of Living rankings...

Credit: AP Photo/Rob Griffith

10. Bern, Switzerland (TIE)

Tied for tenth on the list is Bern, Switzerland.

Mercer's survey looked at 10 categories for its annual rankings: political and social environment, economic environment, socio-cultural environment, medical and health considerations, schools and education, public services and transportation, recreation, consumer goods, housing, and natural environment

9. Copenhagen, Denmark

Mercer's 2012 Quality of Living Survey is used by multinational companies that may assign employees to international cities.

Credit: Wikimedia/Stefano Bolognini

8. Geneva, Switzerland

Geneva, the European headquarters of the United Nations, ranks eighth in quality of living.

Similar to past surveys, European cities showed a strong presence in the top 25 rankings, earning 15 spots.

Credit: Wikimedia/Norbert Aepli

7. Frankfurt, Germany

Frankfurt is one of six German cities ranked in the top 25 for quality of living, and the first of three featured in the top 10.

In a separate survey of cities with the best infrastructure conducted by Mercer, Frankfurt was tied with Munich for second place worldwide.

Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Fritz Geller-Grimm

6. Dusseldorf, Germany

Dusseldorf comes in at No. 6 on the quality of living survey.

"Infrastructure in German and Danish cities is among the best in the world, in part due to their first-class airport facilities, international and local connectivity, and a high standard of public services," said Slagin Parakatil, senior researcher at Mercer.

Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Johann H. Addicks

5. Vancouver, Canada

Canadian cities report the highest quality of living in North America. In fact, the highest rated U.S. city on the survey was Honolulu at 28, followed by San Francisco at 29.

Vancouver is the highest rated Canadian city on the Quality of Living rankings, followed by Ottawa (14) and Toronto (15).

Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Joe Mabel

4. Munich, Germany

Munich is the top-rated city in Germany and fourth best city in terms of quality of living in the world, according to Mercer.

The annual rankings are used by companies that have employees on international assignments.

Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Gryffindor

3. Auckland, New Zealand

The top-ranked city in the Asia-Pacific region is New Zealand's largest city, Auckland. However the city ranked 43rd in Mercer's separate study of infrastructure.

The city with the top infrastructure in the region was Singapore, which was actually rated as having the top infrastructure in the world.

Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Partyzane

2. Zurich, Switzerland

Switzerland's largest city Zurich is an international financial hub, attracting many expatriates for business. The city comes in second on Mercer's quality of living rankings.

For its2012 Quality of Living Survey, global consulting firm Mercer analyzed local living conditions in 460 cities based on 39 factors including political stability, crime, access to medical supplies and services, air pollution, schools and recreation.

Which city earned the top spot for 2012?

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1. Vienna, Austria

Vienna has earned Mercer's distinction as the city with the highest quality of living in Europe and the world.

The top 50 rankings for quality of living and infrastructure can be found on Mercer's website.